‘Mr. Fix-Its’ and memo addressed in queue-jumping testimony

In the second day of hearings into allegations of queue-jumping in Alberta’s healthcare system, a top doctor and Alberta Health Services’ former CEO testified.

In his testimony Tuesday, former AHS CEO Stephen Duckett refuted statements made by Dr. David Megran earlier in the day.

Dr. Megran said that he had written a memo in 2009 titled “Preferential Treatment and Expedited Care” at the request of Dr. Duckett, in it, it was suggested the practice of queue-jumping was not uncommon.

On the stand, Dr. Megran said he had not been asked for special treatment, and he didn’t notice it happening.

Meanwhile, Duckett suggested the practice was common.

Duckett testified his job as CEO as not as fun as he expected – he described the health system he inherited as ‘dysfunctional’.

He said there were a number of people he called ‘Mr. Fix It’, who had been given the task of dealing with preferential access and faster health care for the prominent or elite.

“’Mr. Fix It, whose role it was to respond to external pressures, including manipulating wait lists,” Duckett said in a video link from his home in Australia.